Queenston Street: Niagara's worst road & Ontario's fifth worst
THOROLD, ON (May 26, 2016) Queenston Street in St Catharines has the dubious distinction of Niagara's Worst Road and Ontario's fifth worst, according to voters in CAA's 2016 Worst Roads Campaign.
Voting in the four-week campaign, which ended April 29, rose more than 50 per cent over last year. Ninety-three per cent of Niagara voters reported potholes and crumbling pavement as the reason for selecting a road. "We saw a tremendous lift in community engagement this year," said Drew Chamberlain, CAA Niagara's President and CEO. The increased number of votes show people care about Niagara roads and want them improved. We also saw the number of roads identified as needing help rise to 373 from 200.
Last year, Fort Erie's Dominion Road was named Niagara's worst and Ontario's ninth worst. New to Niagara's top 10 list is Grantham Avenue in St. Catharines and Saint David's Road in Thorold.
Niagara's Top 10 Worst Roads are:
| 1. Queenston Street, St. Catharines 2. Dominion Road, Fort Erie 3. Drummond Road, Niagara Falls 4. Lakeshore Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake 5. Grantham Avenue, St. Catharines |
6. Ontario Street, St. Catharines 7. McLeod Road, Niagara Falls 8. Dorchester Road, Niagara Falls 9. Niagara Street, Welland 10. Saint David?s Road, Thorold |
Ontario's Top 10 Worst Roads are:
| 1. County Road 49, Prince Edward County 2. Algonquin Blvd. West, Timmins 3. Balmoral Street, Thunder Bay 4. Algonquin Blvd. East, Timmins 5. Queenston Street, St. Catharines |
6. Burlington Street East, Hamilton |
The Ontario Road Builders Association (ORBA) verifies and assesses the top worst roads. ORBA said that the section of Queenston Street between Berryman Avenue and Tasker Street chosen by voters is "in very poor condition and the existing roadway's asphalt is potholed, has very severe transverse and longitudinal cracking and would most likely require a full construction and base replacement."
CAA in its ongoing advocacy efforts will present the 2016 Worst Roads results to local and provincial government officials. CAA will also continue its call for a dedicated, predictable and permanent gasoline-tax fund for Ontario?s roads, highways and bridges.
Contact: media@caaniagara.ca